Wireless speaker systems can be quite decent, but often the only good ones are really intended for outdoor use, and because of the lack of sound landscaping (no walls outside usually), they are designed to sound different, and would not be appropriate indoors. It is very difficult to match the quality of hardwire units. You are often better to invest the time and money to wire your speakers; your ears will thank you. You can purchase plastic and metal conduits that are white, but can be painted to match your walls and taped/tacked to the corners of your rooms to run wiring. It can look very nice, and is the smart way to go if you are renting/leasing your place. If you own, nothing beats in-wall wiring.

X10 is most definitely NOT the way to go. There are several newer technologies in the same price point that offer a higher level of security, reliability, speed, and customization. Two of these technologies are: INSTEON and UPB. I personally use INSTEON in my home, and find it to work quite well. Clients of mine have also liked UPB very much. These newish technologies are starting to shrink the gap (only slightly so far) with super high-end product offerings like Crestron and AMX; there's still a long way to go, but atleast they are no longer for amateur hobbyists. Contact me if you become interested in INSTEON, as I'm a dealer (hence part of the lean towards it, but I do really like the technology) and I could probably save you a few dollars.

The reason X10 is not useful anymore, is that the protocol is unreliable and very insecure. Most commands take 1-2 seconds to execute over the powerline, causing a very chunky feel when operating dimmers, light switches, etc. INSTEON commands take action within 100ms; faster than the eye can tell for the most part. X10 is also a very old technology; it is about 30 years old, and really needed an overhaul.

I can not help you with the projector system, as anything reasonable these days are still over $500. I would expect to spend about $1500-3000 to get a reasonable unit. Although, if you find something worth while for $500, I'd be very excited to hear about it. Drop me a line!

Regards,

Kevin

X10, I am told, "Is a bunch of Crap" This was told to me by a contact who works in the home wiring business